Bathroom and kitchen molding



Dec. 14, E J DALEY BATHROOM AND KITCHEN MOLDING Filed NOV. 6. 1961 INVENTOR. EUGENE J. DALE) ATTORNEYS 3,222,837 BATHRUOM AND KITCHEN MULDTNG Eugene J. Daley, 956 Athens St, San Francisco, Calif. Filed Nov. 6, 1961, Ser. No. 150,278 3 Claims. (Cl. 52--288) This invention relates to molding, and has for one of its objects the provision of a bathroom and kitchen molding for use in combination with Walls that are at a right angle to each other for forming a sanitary, smooth, corner surface that enables easy and thorough cleaning of the corner formed by the molding.

In explanation, at the present time, the tile used for the flooring and Walls of a bathroom meet at a right angle to each other making it difficult to clean the corner. Furthermore, the cement that joins the tile is usually along the meeting line of the adjacent tiles that form the corner, or closely adjacent thereto, and this cement is not glazed, but is relatively rough and catches and holds dust and fine particles of dirt, making it doubly difiicult to keep the corner clean. Ultimately the cement may change color due to accumulations of fine particles that are caught and held, or it becomes stained, and a special bleaching operation is necessary to remove the stain or dirt.

It may further be noted that the accurate fitting of tiles where one tile must meet the one that is at a right angle thereto, is difiicult, and irregularities along the juncture are filled with cement which is exposed.

With the present invention, the corners, whether at the juncture of the wall of the tile with the floor and side walls, or Whether at the juncture between side walls or the floor and a side wall, are uniform. No special tiles are required, nor any special interlock.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the description and in the drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an isometric fragmentary View, partly in cross section, showing the cross sectional contour of the molding and the floor tiles and side wall tiles in position extending at a right angle to each other from the molding.

FIG. 2 shows the molding employed at a vertical corner of a room in combination with the tiles.

In detail the molding is indicated at 1, and this molding may be of extruded clay, that is baked or fired, in which case the molding is of substantially the same material as the tile of the walls and floor, and in such instances the molding may be made in relatively short lengths that, in turn, may be of the same length as the horizontal width of the tile, panels or pieces 2 of the floor or of the tile pieces 3 of the Wall. The length of the molding may vary according to the appearance desired, or the limits within which the tile is laid.

In this connection it may be noted that while the tile 3 is against a vertical supporting wall 4-, the tile need not necessarily be in small pieces, but may be a panel of any desired material. Also the floor 5 may be of cement or other material. Usually, in bathrooms the floor 5 would be a layer of cement on which the tile 2 is laid, but other flooring could be used than that of tile. However, the invention particularly adapts itself to bathroom structure in which tile is used, as will later appear, and Where the molding itself is of ceramic or tile material, the molding is in strips of relatively short length.

Referring to FIG. 1, the molding 1 is of generally right angle contour in cross section, having a horizontal leg 6 that extends over the horizontal floor 5 and a vertical leg 7 that extends over the vertical wall 4.

The leg 6 is formed with a relatively wide horizontally disposed rib 6 projecting from its lower side and spaced from the outer edge of leg 6. The flat lower surface of the rib 8 is adapted to be flat against the floor 5, and the nited States Patent 0 rib is of generally rectangular contour providing a vertical shoulder 9 facing outwardly of the leg 6 against which one edge of tile 2 is adapted to abut. Thus shoulder 9 connects Wtih a horizontal surface 10 that extends to the free edge of the leg 6, and which surface is adapted to overlap a marginal portion of tile 2 in engagement with the latter. Thus the surfaces 9, it define two of the sides of a rabbet along the outer edge of the leg 6 on the side of said leg that faces outwardly of the reentrant angle formed by the legs. This may be called a tile or panel receiving recess, in which the side 9 is of a vertical width substantially equal to the thickness of the tile.

The leg 7 is formed with ridge 11 thus forming a similar rabbet, in which a shoulder 12 is adapted to abut an edge of a Wall tile 3 while the surface 13 overlies the lower exposed laterally directed marginal surface of the tile 3.

Between the ribs 8, 11 the molding is relieved to provide a space defined by the adjacent walls 4, 5 and by the molding, that is adapted to be filled with cement 14 or the like.

It should be noted that the tile 3 could be a wall of a tub, with the lower edge of said wall being received in the rabbet or recess defined by surfaces 12, 13. This would be common construction where the molding and tub were installed at the same time, or where the room was remodeled and the tub elevated to enable the front panel of the tub to be received in the rabbet. Otherwise, the rib 11 could be omitted and surface 13 continued so a flat surface would be against the side of the tube to the upper edge of leg 7.

FIG. 2 shows the molding 1 in a vertical corner of a room, and here the same structure is used in the molding. Joints at the junctures between walls at a corner would, of course, be mitered in the usual manner to fit.

In FIG. 2, the adjoining wall tile 3 is shown and cement 15 fills the space between the molding and the adjoining vertical margins of the wall tile 3.

The outer surface of the molding 1 is particularly important. This, in FIGS. 1 and 2, is the same. The outer surface of the molding is that in the reentrant angle, and in cross sectional contour, it may be said to be a double ogee curve, in that the surfaces 20 along the outer edges of the legs 6, 7 are convex, coming to a relatively sharp edge with surfaces 10, 13 while the central portion 21 is concave and in continuation of the curves 20.

In installing the molding, it may be first positioned in the corners of the room, such as along the floor at the side walls, or tub (FIG. 1), or in the vertical corners where the side walls meet (FIG. 2) and held there by the cement 14 and 15, or the tile may be laid first, and the molding placed later.

By the latter procedure the floor or walls may be marked to indicate where the tiles should terminate, and this marking may vary, as long as the edges of the tile terminate beneath the outer marginal portions of the legs 6, 7 or within the rabbets along said edges. After the floor and walls are so laid, a film of cement or any other desired sealant may be placed on the surfaces 1043 and the molding positioned in the desired corner. This sealant or cement ensures a tight fit, since the ribs 8, 11 will not normally contact the walls 5, 4 in a manner to prevent the sealant from remaining in position to effect a tight seal.

It should be noted that the ribs 8, 11 will not normally bear any real weight. They function to provide the shoulders 9, 12.

In FIG. 2, these shoulders 9, 12 are spaced from the tile 3, and cement may be placed in this space if desired. However, this space, indicated at 23 illustrates the fact that the tile need not necessarily extend to J the shoulders 9, 12 in order to accomplish the desired results.

Obviously the molding may be of extruded metal, in which case it may be made in any desired lengths.

I claim:

1. In combination with a pair of walls adjoining each other at a right angle to provide a right angle corner:

(a) an elongated rigid molding strip of imperforate ceramic material extending longitudinally of said corner having parallel longitudinally extending free edges and :a generally right angle cross sectional contour providing a pair of legs extending at a right angle to each other, having a reentrant surface within the 90 angle thereof;

(b) said reentrant surface being of generally doubleogee contour transversely of said strip providing convexly curved surfaces extending generally toward each other from the free edges of said strip and an intermediate concavely curved surface in continuation of said convex surfaces;

(c) the said legs of said strip being relatively thick along said free edges and being formed with a rabbet along each free edge on the side of each leg that is opposite to each of said convex surfaces;

(d) each rabbet being of a depth in a direction transversely of each leg approximately equal to the thickness of the marginal portion of a conventional flat bathroom wall tile;

(e) conventional flat bathroom wall tiles respectively secured to said walls adjacent to said corner formed thereby providing wall covering with a marginal portion of each tile within one of the rabbets formed on said molding strip and with the surface defining one side of each rabbet substantially against and in lapping opposed relation to the surface of the marginal portion of the tile that is opposed thereto and that faces outwardly of the wall against which the tile is secured and a waterproof sealant between the opposed lapping surfaces of said tile and said one side of said rabbet securing said tile in each rabbet and sealing said tile and strip against leakage past said rabbets.

2. In the combination as defined in claim 1:

(f) means between said molding strip and said walls at their juncture securing said molding strip to said walls and substantially against said marginal portions of said tiles.

3. A corner molding adapted to be positioned along the juncture between the tile walls of a bathroom, and between the tub walls and such tile walls, adjoining each other at a right angle, comprising:

(a) an imperforate, rigid strip of ceramic material having a generally right angle cross sectional contour providing a pair of legs extending at a right angle to each other with a reentrant surface within the right angle that is formed, and planar outer surfaces at a right angle to each other on the sides of said legs opposite to said reentrant surface, said pair of legs being of the same shape and size at opposite sides of a plane bisecting said strip longitudinally thereof through the juncture between said legs;

(b) said legs having parallel free edges extending longitudinally of said strip remote from the juncture between said legs;

(c) said reentrant surface being generally of double ogee contour transversely of said strip between said free edges providing convexly curved surfaces extending generally toward each other from said free edges and a central concavely curved surface in continuation of and between said convex surfaces;

(d) said legs being rabbeted on their outer sides along said free edges to a sufficient depth from said outer sides to receive therein the marginal portions of conventional flat bathroom floor of tiles and wall tiles and the like when said strip is secured in the corner defined by the said juncture of said walls with said planar outer surfaces substantially against said walls;

(e) the central portion of said strip at the side thereof opposite to said concavely curved surface and between said planar outer surfaces and the right angle juncture between said walls having an outwardly opening recess for receiving cement to secure said strip in the corner formed by said walls at said juncture when strip is in said last mentioned corner with said planar surfaces substantially against each of such walls.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,603,366 10/1926 Upson 52717 1,674,725 6/ 1928 Huebner 52-288 1,729,632 10/ 1929 Stone. 2,090,588 8/1937 Witsell 52595 2,114,044 4/1938 Bonnell 52-288 2,128,824 8/1938 Hubschman 52276 2,186,684 1/1940 Ritter 52287 2,274,317 2/ 1942 Bonnell 52287 2,541,768 2/1951 Keller 52287 FOREIGN PATENTS 269,426 8/ 1926 Australia.

166,567 8/ 1950 Austria. 1,005,046 12/ 1951 France.

160,113 4/ 1933 Switzerland.

OTHER REFERENCES American Builder Publication: April, 1957 p. B7.

RICHARD W. COOKE, 111., Primary Examiner.

55 WILLIAM I. MUSHAKE, JACOB L. NACKENOFF,

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Examiners. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A PAIR OF WALS ADJOINING EACH OTHER AT A RIGHT ANGLE TO PROVIDE A RIGHT ANGLE CORNER: (A) AN ELONGATED RIGID MOLDING STRIP OF IMPERFORATE CERAMIC MATERIAL EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID CORNER HAVING PARALLEL LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING FREE EDGES AND A GENERALLY RIGHT ANGLES CROSS SECTIONAL CONTOUR PROVIDING A PAIR OF LEGS EXTENDING AT A RIGHT ANGLE TO EACH OTHER, HAVING A REENTRANT SURFACE WITHIN THE 90* ANGLE THEREOF; (B) SAID REENTRANT SURFACE BEING OF GENERALLY DOUBLEOGEE CONTOUR TRANSVERSELY OF SAID STRIP PROVIDING CONVEXLY CURVED SURFACES EXTENDING GENERALLY TOWARD EACH OTHER FROM THE FREE EDGES OF SAID STRIP AND AN INTERMEDIATE CONCAVELY CURVED SURFACE IN CONTINUATION OF SAID CONVEX SURFACES; (C) THE SAID LEGS OF SAID STRIP BEING RELATIVELY THICK ALONG SAID FREE EDGES AND BEING FORMED WITH A RABBET ALONG EACH FREE EDGE ON THE SIDE OF EACH LEG THAT IS OPPOSITE TO EACH OF SAID CONVEX SURFACES; (D) EACH RABBET BRING OF A DEPTH IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSELY OF EACH LEG APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE THICKNESS OF THE MARGINAL PORTION OF A CONVENTIONAL FLAT BATHROCOM WALL TILE; (E) CONVENTIONAL FLAT BATHROOD WALL TITLES RESPECTIVELY SECURED TO SAID WALLS ADJACENT TO SAID CORNER FORMED THEREBY PROVIDING WALL COVERING WITH A MARGINAL PORTION OF EACH TITLE WITHIN ONE OF THE RABBETS FORMED ONB SAID MOLDING STRIP AND WITH THE SURFACES DEFINING ONE SIDE OF EACH RABBET SUBSTANTIALLY AGAINST AND IN LAPPING OPPOSED RELATION TO THE SURFACE OF THE MARGINAL PORTION OF THE TITLE THAT IS OPPOSED THERETO AND THAT FACES OUTWARDLY OF THE WALL AGAINST WHICH THE TITLE IS SECURED AND A WATERPROOF SEALANT BETWEEN THE OPPOSED LAPPING SURFACES OF SAID TITLE AND SAID ONE SIDE OF SAID RABBET SECURING SAID TITLE IN EACH RABBET AND SEALING SAID TITLE AND STRIP AGAINST LEAKAGE PAST AND RABBETS. 